Regeneration - Justification - Sanctification

There is great room for error when we fail to properly distinguish the various works of God in the salvation of sinners. This is especially true with reference to three prominent aspects of God's work of salvation: regeneration, justification, and sanctification. The work of God in regeneration must be distinguished from both justification and sanctification. And justification must be clearly distinguished from sanctification.

First, regeneration is to be distinguished from justification. Justification is a legal declaration by God the Judge of the universe. In it God declares the believing sinner to be righteous because Jesus paid the penalty for his sins on the cross, and the righteousness of Jesus has been credited to him. In justification the believing sinner becomes positionally righteous not practically righteous. In justification righteousness is credited or imputed (not infused) to the sinner; no change is made in him.

In regeneration, however, there is a radical change in the sinner. He who was dead in sin is now made alive. He who hated God now loves and trusts God. He who lived for sin now lives for righteousness. Regeneration is the actual infusion of holiness.

If we fail to distinguish regeneration from justification we fall in to the error of believing that our righteous standing before God depends on how holy and righteous we behave. Holiness in the life of the believer has as it origin and of necessity follows from regeneration, but our justification before God is always and only dependent on the merits of Jesus Christ.

Second, regeneration is to be distinguished from sanctification. Sanctification is a progressive work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer whereby we are brought into conformity with the righteous character of Christ. It begins at regeneration and is completed at glorification. Therefore, from the moment we put our trust in Jesus until we breath our last breath, the Holy Spirit is at work in us making us holy. Whereas in justification we are positionally declared righteous by God through faith in Jesus, in sanctification we are progressively made righteous practically.

Regeneration is an instantaneous work of the Holy Spirit and is the seed of all holiness of life that is to follow. Sanctification is a progressive work of the Holy Spirit, following upon the new birth, making us more and more holy.

If we fail to distinguish regeneration from sanctification we fall into the error of believing that any failure in the progress of sanctification makes void the grace of regeneration. Those who make this mistake find themselves seeking to be born again again and again.

Now tell me, doth this offend you?

The Doctrine of Justification by Faith Alone in Christ Jesus Alone - Apart from Works

“And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:” (Romans 4:5, 6 ESV)

There are legalists in every age. The Pharisees, in New Testament times, were legalists. They had a list of laws, some biblical and some extra-biblical, that they believed must be kept to be right with God. Roman Catholicism is radically legalistic with its system of penance and venial and mortal sins. They believe that sinners are made right with God by a combination of faith and works. There are legalists in the Church today who give lip service to grace but then load people up with all kinds of laws that they say must be kept. Legalism is the heart of man’s religion. If man creates a religion you can be sure it will be legalistic. The biblical answer to legalism in all of its forms is the doctrine of justification by faith alone in Christ Jesus alone, apart from works. You cannot truly understand and believe this doctrine and be a legalist.

Now tell me, doth this offend you?

Righteousness by Imputation

Justification is the imputation of righteousness to those whose faith is in God. The imputation of righteousness is not an infusion of righteousness, whereby, the sinner is changed into a righteous person. Rather it is the crediting of the righteousness of Christ to the account of the sinner.

The believing sinner is considered and treated as if he were righteous. God treats us as if we had lived the righteous life of Jesus. Our righteous standing before God is positional not practical. In justification, righteousness is not worked in us (that’s sanctification) it is credited to us. It is an alien righteousness; a foreign righteousness. It is a righteousness that does not have its origin in us. It is not the result of anything we have or can do. It is ours by imputation.

Our sin was imputed to Christ on the cross. Jesus was not infused with sin. He did not become a sinner. But God considered and treated Jesus as if He were a sinner. God treated Jesus as if He had lived our sinful life.

17 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.(Second Corinthians 5:21 ESV)

The righteousness of God (that is the righteous merits of the life of Jesus Christ) is imputed to believing sinners. The righteousness that is imputed to believers is the obedience of Jesus.

The obedience of Jesus was both active and passive. During His life, Christ actively obeyed the Father by keeping the law of God perfectly. In His death, Christ passively obeyed the Father by enduing the penalty for the violation of God’s law. The death of Jesus was complete payment of the penalty for the violation of God’s law that we by our sin incurred. The perfectly righteous life that Jesus lived is the source of the righteousness received by faith in justification.

In the law there is both precept and penalty. The precepts say “you shall do” or “you shall not do.” The penalty says, “if you violate the precept you incur this punishment.” Jesus lived perfectly. He actively did everything the law said do and He actively avoided everything the law said not to do. We actively violated the law. We didn’t do what the law said to do and we did what the law said not to do.

God imputed to Jesus the lawbreaking of the world and sentenced Jesus to be punished according to the law. Jesus passively endured the penalty prescribed in the law, thus satisfying the wrath of the just and holy God. With his sin paid for by Jesus, the believing sinner passively receives God’s imputation of the righteous merits of the perfect life of Christ.

Because of the imputation of righteousness the believing sinner is declared by God to be righteous. How righteous? Perfectly righteous; as righteous as Jesus Christ. Because our righteousness before God is the righteous merits of Jesus Christ.

Now tell me, doth this offend you?

Justification Before God Apart from Human Effort

When Paul said,

(Romans 3:20 ESV) “by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight”

he eliminated all human effort as the way to justification.

5 minute video:

Now tell me, doth this offend you?

Spurgeon on the Love of God for the Justified Sinner

The doctrine of justification by faith alone in Christ alone is essential to the Gospel. Lately, I've been reading a number of thing on the doctrine. The following is a quote from a sermon by C.H. Spurgeon.

The moment the man believes in Christ, he ceases to be guilty in God’s esteem, but what is more, he becomes righteous, he becomes meritorious, for, in the moment when Christ takes his sins he takes Christ’s righteousness, so that, when God looks upon the sinner who but an hour ago was dead in sins, he looks upon him with as much love and affection as he ever looked upon his Son. He himself has said it — “As the Father loved me, so have I loved you.” He loves us as much as his Father loved him. Can you believe such a doctrine as that? Does it not pass all thought? Well, it is a doctrine of the Holy Spirit, the doctrine whereby we must hope to be saved. (Justification By Grace, A Sermon [#126] Delivered on April 5, 1857)

Now tell me, doth this offend you?